As most fight fans already know, Erislandy Lara (19-1-2 12KO’s) will be defending his WBA interim Jr. Middleweight title against former IBF title holder Ishe Smith (25-6 11KO’s) on Friday May 2nd.

Lara has fought most of the current top Jr. Middleweights in the world over the course of his young professional career. He holds victories over big names such as Alfredo Angulo and Austin Trout. Lara is a fighter who has constantly looked for the biggest challenges and has recently expressed the desire to get in the ring with Saul Alvarez and WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin. Lara stated through a translator, “I didn’t come to this country to play games or fight weak competition.” Lara then went on to say, “I like to fight the best fighters and Golovkin is considered one of the best guys. Golovkin is a strong fighter with a style that I like. I like fighters who come forward because it meshes well with my style.”

Rumors have been going around that three Golden Boy fighters might be fighting on HBO in the future. If this rumor turns out to be accurate, I wouldn’t be surprised if Lara happens to be one of the fighters to make the move to HBO. This move will help Al Haymon keep him away from his other clients who have bigger names and Golovkin will finally have a credible opponent to get in the ring with.

However, Lara can’t afford to be too focused on potential future opponents because he has to get passed Ishe Smith on May 2nd. Not only does Lara have to win but he has to also look good in order for him to get the match ups he desires and talks about.